


The Adventures of Aunt Adili: Aunt Adili and the Evening Star

by Anna_Wing



Series: The Road Goes Ever On [5]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 22:06:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1618679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anna_Wing/pseuds/Anna_Wing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Haradren Folk-tale</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Adventures of Aunt Adili: Aunt Adili and the Evening Star

**"The Adventures of Aunt Adili the Easterling: A Collection of Haradren Folktales”, published in Gondor and the Shire in a trilingual Far Haradren,Westron and Sindarin edition by Party Tree Publications in Year 20 Fourth Age (20 Arwen and Elessar), with the gracious patronage of Her Majesty The Queen, HE the Ambassador of Far Harad to the Court of the White Tree, and HE Master Meriadoc Brandybuck, Counsellor of Gondor and Arnor, Knight of Rohan and Master of Buckland in the Shire.**

_Editors’ note: The tales of Aunt Adili the Easterling were as far we know first reduced to writing in Far Harad relatively late in the Third Age. Research indicates so far that they were known for at least two thousand years before that in various oral versions over an exceedingly wide geographical area, from Rhun to the territories beyond Khand, and at least as far south as Far Harad. Certain elements in some of the stories in this by no means exhaustive collection are indicative of extreme antiquity, possibly dating back to the Elder Days, and there are a number of disconcerting references to what are clearly distorted versions of the lore and history of the Eldar (as discussed at greater length in the End Note). The ambiguous figure of Aunt Adili (the most common of a variety of names used for what is clearly the same character - others include Undumiel, Arakandig, Morian and Innin, reflecting the wide linguistic and geographical distribution of these tales), while not unique in the lore of Middle-earth as a trickster (sometimes amiable, sometimes dangerous, always unpredictable), is certainly the most ubiquitous in both time and space, and in the editors’ view is very likely to have originated in the activities of a real personage or personages. The survival of the legends of the Istari Alatar and Pallando (verbally confirmed by the Lady Galadriel during her visit to Minas Tirith in Year 1 Fourth Age to have been genuine members of the order of the Maiar of her personal acquaintance previous to her departure from Valinor) in very similar ways, is to the editors very strongly indicative that the original of Aunt Adili was probably a being of similar sort, but of distinctly doubtful allegiances. The rather shocking fate of either Alatar or Pallando (the exact identity of the victim is unclear) in the story “Aunt Adili and the Blue Wizard” (at page 42 of this edition) hints at this. More research is definitely required, and it is hoped that the recent opening of the trade routes beyond Rhun and Khand and thence to the Uttermost East under the aegis of Their Majesties Arwen and Elessar will facilitate this._

**The Editors express their profound gratitude to Mistress Innin the Easterling, proprietress of Aunt Adili’s Haradren Chocolate and Confectionery Shop in Minas Tirith, for her advice on translation and information on the Eastern legends of Aunt Adili, as well as for the generous hospitality of her most excellent establishment during the preparation of this volume. ******

**AUNT ADILI AND THE EVENING STAR**

One night, Aunt Adili knocked over her lantern by accident and set fire to her house. She saved her clothes-chest and her cooking pots, but her house burned down. Aunt Adili called the villagers to help her build a new house, and they were too frightened of her to refuse. While they were building it, one evening, Aunt Adili looked up at the Evening Star and thought, “If I had the Evening Star, I would have light that would not burn down my house.” Aunt Adili was wise and knew that the Evening Star is not a fire, though it is bright. 

So the next morning Aunt Adili put on her journey-coat and her boots and hung her big kitchen-knife at her belt and went to visit her friend Kano the demon smith. She walked and walked and walked until after twenty days and twenty nights she reached Kano’s house in the mountains. He was a very good smith, but no one likes to live near a demon, so his customers were resigned to the journey. Aunt Adili arrived at Kano’s house in the early evening, and found him playing the sixteen-stringed _dtchung_ (1) and singing. Most people bought tools and cooking things from Kano, and a few bought weapons. Everything that he made was beautiful and useful and hardly ever wore out so he was a very popular smith, even though he was a demon and charged very high prices for what he made. But really what he most liked making was musical instruments and he was always sad that so few people wanted them. When he saw Aunt Adili, he stopped singing and sighed. He and Aunt Adili had been friends for a long, long time.

“Hello, Aunt Adili,” he said and stood up. He was very, very tall, as tall as a tree. His hair was black like a normal person’s, but his skin was very, very pale, pale like a leper’s and his eyes were very, very bright, bright as the Sun, because he was a demon. “Have some tea.” 

“Thank you,” said Aunt Adili, who was thirsty after her long walk. They had tea, and then Aunt Adili said, “Kano, I want you to help me to catch the Evening Star. I want a light that will not burn down my house.”

Kano dropped his tea-cup, which did not break because Kano had made it himself. 

“Aunt Adili,” he said, “I can’t help you to do that. My father made the Evening Star, and now it shines for everyone.”

Aunt Adili said reasonably, “Everyone can see it, but up there its light is too dim to be of any use to anyone. If I bring it down, my whole village will have light that we can work by without our houses burning down.” Aunt Adili was a very stubborn woman. She argued and argued and argued, and in the end Kano agreed to help her. He had always been sorry that his family had lost the Evening Star, and Aunt Adili promised that when she had it in her village he could come and stay in her house and look at it whenever he liked. 

“The Evening Star rides on a flying boat,” said Kano. “If we are to catch it, we will need a flying boat too. Go away, Aunt Adili, and let me think about this.” 

Aunt Adili went home. She waited through the cool season, and then through the hot season, and the rainy season, a whole year. And then Kano sent her a message to come back to his house. When she arrived, Kano took her round to his workshop at the back. There was the boat, floating in the air without sails or oars. It was tethered to a mango tree or it would have floated away. 

“Oh, how nice, Kano!” said Aunt Adili. “Yes,” said Kano. “I am a genius too, though not as much of a genius as my father.” Demons are not very modest. 

They climbed on board. “I need your help, now, Aunt Adili,” said Kano. “The Boat of the Evening Star flies above the air, and even demons cannot live in that place. You must preserve us there, and fight the Captain of the Boat, because I have to steer our boat.” 

“Very well,” said Aunt Adili, though even she was a little nervous. The Captain of the Boat of the Evening Star is a mighty warrior and Aunt Adili really didn’t like fighting people, because it is dangerous. 

They cast off. The boat floated upwards, higher and higher, until the air was thinner than on the top of the highest mountain. Aunt Adili sang a spell and the air gathered around the boat in a thick clump, just before they crossed the frontier of the sky and sailed into the playground of the stars. 

“My,” said Kano, who had never been up there before. “It’s so beautiful. I want to make a song about it.” >

“Later,” said Aunt Adili, a little crossly, because she was nervous. 

“The Evening Star is too dangerous to touch with your hands,” Kano said. He knew this from personal experience. “I have made a net. When I steer the boat close to the boat of the Evening Star, you must cut the bolt that fastens the Evening Star to the prow, and catch it in the net before it falls. And keep us safe and fight the Captain, because he won’t like us stealing the Evening Star.” 

Aunt Adili picked up the net in one hand. It was finer than mist and lighter than Sunlight. But Kano had made it, so she knew that it would do what he said it would do. In her other hand she took her big kitchen-knife, which the dwarves had made long ago. It had been made to cut iron as if iron were wood, though its previous owner had managed to break it once, long ago, on some extremely special and dangerous iron. Aunt Adili had picked up the pieces and had them remade so that the knife would cut iron as if iron were cream cheese, and nothing on Middle-earth would ever be able to break it again while Aunt Adili lived. 

“There it is!” said Kano and turned the boat towards it. The boat went faster and faster, and as it drew near the Boat of the Evening Star, Aunt Adili realised that the Boat of the Evening Star was much larger than theirs. They were coming up from below the Boat at right angles to it, and she realised that Kano was hoping that they could cut the Evening Star off the Boat before the Captain even noticed that they were there. It was quite a good plan, actually. 

The Evening Star was actually a jewel, not very big, set onto the bow of the Boat (that is the front end) as if it were on a bangle. Its light was tremendously bright, brighter than the light of the Sun, even, but more cool and clear. It was a strange colour, as if it mixed both Sunlight and Moonlight, and it was perceptible with more than eyesight, as if it were music turned into light. 

Kano was a very good steersman (this is unusual for demons, who do not usually like water, but Kano had decided long ago that he needed to know about boats; so he had learned.) He brought the boat up alongside and a little below the Boat of the Evening Star, until his boat was rushing along at the same speed and just a handsbreadth away. Aunt Adili brought the net up and struck at the mounting that held the Evening Star. The kitchen knife should have cut it easily, but instead the Boat gave a great _BOOONNNNGGGG_ like a huge gong, as the knife struck and bounced off. Aunt Adili had forgotten that the Boat of the Evening Star had not been made in Middle-earth but by the Gods Themselves in Their own country, and even her kitchen knife would not cut it. 

Aunt Adili staggered, and almost fell off the boat (which would have been very bad for her). “Get us away!” she shouted. 

“I’m trying!” Kano shouted back as he hurriedly steered their boat away from the Boat of the Evening Star. 

There was a shout from above, and the Captain of the Evening Star came rushing forward with his sword drawn. The Captain of the Evening Star was born a man, but the Gods made him a special sort of demon when They made him the Captain of the Boat. He was as tall and pale as Kano was, but his hair was bright yellow, like the sand in the rainless southern desert. 

“Get us a bit closer again,” Aunt Adili said, “I’ve thought of a plan.” She waved the net and Kano realised what she had in mind (he really was very clever). He turned the boat back towards the Boat of the Evening Star, but this time aiming over it. Aunt Adili leaned over the side, swinging the net. She had realised that if they could not get the Evening Star off the Boat, the next best thing would be to take the whole Boat, Star and all, back home. After all, she could always live on the Boat once it was down in her village. She was not sure what they would do with the Captain, but she hoped that Kano would think of something. 

The Captain realised what Aunt Adili meant to do with the net and struck at it with his sword. Neither the net nor the sword broke, but they were tangled with each other for a moment. Aunt Adili let go of the net, which fell on the Captain’s head, tangling him up even more, and swung herself over the rail of Kano’s boat. She leaned down, hanging on desperately with one hand (this is a dangerous thing to do unless you really know what you are doing, but Aunt Adili had had a lot of practice) and hit the Captain on his head very hard with the hilt of her knife. He fell over unconscious, because even the hilt of the knife was very hard, and Aunt Adili was much stronger than she looked. 

All would have been well and the Boat of the Evening Star would have been theirs, but suddenly there was a bright silver light all around, and someone else shouted, “Thieves! Monsters!” 

It was the Boat of the Moon, steered by the Bowman. He had seen that someone was trying to steal the Boat of the Evening Star and come to help the Captain. He raised his shining bow and loosed a blazing silver arrow at Aunt Adili. She ducked, and it hit the deck of Kano’s boat instead. 

“Aunt Adili, we must get away!” shouted Kano, and swung the tiller to turn the boat away. The Bowman is a God, though not a very strong one, and even demons do not like fighting Gods if they can avoid it. 

“Wait!” she shouted back. Aunt Adili did not like being shot at and she was annoyed at the Bowman for interfering. She sang another spell, a very special one. Kano heard and said in surprise, 

“Aunt Adili, who are you calling...Ouch!” He had not been fast enough and the Bowman’s next arrow had gone through one arm. 

“Ha!” shouted the Bowman, “Got you, traitor!” He raised the bow again for the killing shot, and then something like many, many vines made of darkness wrapped themselves suddenly around him and dragged him to the deck of the Moonboat. 

_HELLO, COUSIN ADILI_ , said a very, very deep voice, as deep as darkness. It was one of the Defeated, who fought the other Gods at the beginning of the world and lost. Some went to Middle-earth to hide, but others had stayed among the stars, lurking and every so often harassing the Sun and Moon just to annoy the Gods. This one was a huge shape of shadows and tentacles, with nine red eyes, each as red as fire and very big, bigger than the size of the biggest cauldron. 

_IS THIS IDIOT ANNOYING YOU?_ It extended its shadow over all the Moonboat, until only the shining Bowman and the bright Moon itself, a great white flower in a globe of Gods’-glass, were not obscured. The Bowman was struggling with the shadows, but it would take him a while to break free. 

“Thank you!” Aunt Adili said. “Just keep him out of our way for a bit.” She glanced across at the Boat of the Evening Star. Unfortunately, the Captain had regained consciousness (he was indeed a great warrior) and was cutting his way through Kano’s net with his sword, which had also been made by demons, long ago. 

Kano shouted, “Aunt Adili, help!” He was struggling to keep their boat level; it was difficult with an arrow through one arm, and the boat yawed nastily. Aunt Adili clutched the rail of the boat with her free hand to keep her balance and said bad words. 

Just as everything looked as if it could not go more wrong, both the shadows of the Defeated and the silver light of the Moon (though not the light of the Evening Star, which was even brighter in light than it was in darkness) were washed away in a flood of burning, golden light, and a huge voice said, **WHAT IS GOING ON HERE??!!!**

It was the Helmswoman of the Boat of the Sun, who is a Goddess, and much more powerful than the Bowman. She had seen the Bowman racing off-course towards the Boat of the Evening Star, and then the arrival of the Defeated, and come to rescue him. 

_OOPS_ , said the Defeated, _COUSIN ADILI, WE ALL NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE, VERY QUICKLY_. The Helmswoman of the Sun is quick-tempered as well as powerful, and even the mightiest of the Defeated dared not attack her directly. 

**WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT** , said the Helmswoman of the Sun and sent solar flares straight at the Defeated and at Kano’s boat. Kano jerked the tiller round with his good arm, and the flare narrowly missed the boat, though it scorched his long, black hair. The Defeated dissolved Itself back into darkness hurriedly, and the blast of Sun-fire hit the Moonboat instead, rocking the Moonflower in its great globe. 

Watch out!” screamed the Bowman. “”That’s my ship!” 

**TAKE BETTER CARE OF IT, THEN** , the Helmswoman said unsympathetically. She and the Bowman do not get on very well. 

“Down!” shouted Kano, “As quickly as we can!” He helped Aunt Adili steer the boat downwards, racing for the walls of air that the Sun and the Moon and the stars cannot pass. 

“They’re getting away!” called the Captain of the Evening Star, who was less easily distracted than Gods. 

The Boatman of the Moon sent his ship hurtling down after Kano and Aunt Adili, shooting as he went, despite shouts of warning from both the Captain and the Helmswoman. But as he neared the breathable world, his arrows slowed and went off course, and he had to swing his Boat up hurriedly, so as not to hit the walls of air, which would have been very bad for it. The Boatman is reckless but does have some common sense when he cannot avoid it. 

Kano did not slow their flight until they were fully in the air again. The Sun blazed angrily in the sky, and they knew that the Helmswoman was watching, but for the moment She could not touch them. Kano let the ship float as it pleased for a while, and Aunt Adili helped him pull out the Bowman’s arrow and bandage his arm with bandages from the medical kit that he had carefully included in the boat’s equipment (he had been on many adventures with Aunt Adili before). 

“That didn’t go well,” said Aunt Adili. “I’m sorry, Kano, it was not your fault.” 

Aunt Adili was quite a fair person, usually, and she was very conscious that it was her knife that had failed. “And now they will be on guard in the sky and we will never have another chance.” 

“It doesn’t matter, really,” said Kano. He had never been that keen on getting the Evening Star back. There had been three of them once, and they had caused his family a lot of trouble. But he knew that Aunt Adili had had fairly kind intentions, and so he had helped her. Also he now had the Bowman’s arrows, which could be made into all manner of interesting things, and he had invented a real flying boat (things made by the Gods don’t count in the breathable world), which he was especially pleased about. Even his father, the greatest genius that had ever lived among the demons, hadn’t managed to invent a flying boat. 

“So you’re one of the Defeated,” he added. “I always wondered.” 

“I was not,”Aunt Adili said indignantly. “I ran away first. Fighting is for stupid people.” 

"Oh well,” said Kano, who had done a lot of fighting in his time and rather agreed with this. “Let’s go home and have a cup of tea, and I will make you a tea-set that will never break, instead.” 

So they did that, and Aunt Adili treasured the tea-set and never tried to steal the Evening Star again, though she did other things. 

(1)A harp-like instrument with from nine to twenty-one strings and a boat-shaped sounding board with a high neck. Found under various names throughout the South. The term used here together with the number of strings mentioned indicates that this version of the tale was originally from the farthest south and probably dates from the first millennium of the Third Age at the latest, since according to Haradren tradition it was in approximately 1050 TA that the dtchung acquired its present complement of 17 strings.


End file.
